Benson Boone: An artist who has been recently popularized and meme-ified over his backflipping and his one song, “Mystical Magical.” Despite his impressive vocal range, people seem to forget what talent he has to offer. In comes “American Heart,” his album dropped in late June with another shirtless picture of himself as the cover. I took a listen to answer a question: Does he deserve more attention as an artist, or are his memes the best part of his music?
The first song, “Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else” gave me some hope, considering I have listened to this song many times. It was released as a single on Feb. 27. As I listened to this song, only knowing his first album “Fireworks and Rollerblades” that’s filled with mostly slower songs, this was a good change of pace into the pop sound that we know Boone to have today. It’s fast-paced, guitar-heavy heavy and gives a taste of Boone’s vocals as he sings about the complex feelings of seeing an old love interest while he’s waiting for a new one. This song still comes up in my playlist from time to time, and I don’t skip it. It’s a good start to the album and made me excited for what was next.
“Mr Electric Blue” follows after, a tribute song to his father with some messages about self-awareness and charisma. It’s about the same pace as the previous song, but it has a more electronic sound combined with the guitar presence heard in the previous song. This is another song I really liked with a rhythm I thought was good for the message. Plus, it had a little bit of internet fame when the music video came out for it, where Boone made fun of his haters and turned the joke around on him in a way that I found comical.
Next is “Man In Me,” a song I hadn’t seen circulating anywhere: the first song that could provide the answer I was listening for. This one was interesting to me; the theme of this song is struggling to keep a sense of yourself in a toxic relationship. It was like the whole song was building up to a major beat drop, but it never came. What I appreciated the most was how Boone’s vocals sounded, probably hitting the highest note so far on this album, but this is probably one of the more forgettable songs.
Then we get the song everyone has been waiting for: “Mystical Magical.” I listened to this song before it became a huge meme and marketing tactic, and although the lyrics “Moonbeam ice cream” already threw me off, the message revolving around the “fun of the chase” was a curveball. In simpler terms, the song is about a person going back and forth with having no interest in him to being head over heels. Yes, the song is a little weirder, but I don’t hate it. You want a bad meme song? Think back to Oct. 3, 2024. This one is Adele in comparison, and I really don’t mind it.
To save the album from a meme explosion is “Reminds Me Of You,” an entirely new sound that seems to be leaning a lot more into the electronic realm while still keeping the Boone charm. Through lyrics about not being able to escape the memories and thoughts of a past relationship, I find this one to be one of the best forgotten songs on the album so far. The first bunch are pretty popular, other than “Man In Me,” and even I forgot about it; I wish I hadn’t. His vocals are pretty good on this song, and it was the first song that really made me wonder if we are all skipping out on what Boone has to offer. Or maybe it’s because I just listened to “Mystical Magical.” Who knows.
After is the first slow song of the album, “Momma Song.” This song about his mother is touching as he sings about the passing of time, how he misses home, and how he wants to know more about his mother before it’s too late. Some lines, like “Momma, I’m getting old / does that mean you’re getting older?” and “‘Cause I’m gonna need this / when I’m holding pictures of you and that’s all that I’ve got left” hit home more than I thought a Benson Boone song could. And we all know the extent of his vocals when the tempo slows. This really reminds me of his first album, which I’ve listened to a few times in the best way possible.
So what follows such a ballad? “I Wanna Be The One You Call.” It’s about having support in a relationship and wanting to have a deep connection with your partner. After a fake slow start into a fast classic drum beat with a little bit of scatting (yes, scatting), it turns back into the sound that the album started with if you delete any electronic sound, other than the radio-like filter on his voice. Then the chorus hits, and you’re wondering when the beat is going to drop. It takes a while for the song to really ramp up in sound and vocals, and when it does, it’s okay. If this song comes up on my playlist when I’m on the way to Walmart in my car, I won’t immediately skip it, but out of the other songs I really liked, I wouldn’t choose this.
My hope of finding Boone’s hidden greatness started to dissipate after this song, but “Wanted Man” was as if they took all of the electronic-pop sound from the last song and pumped it into this one. The lyrics are about someone wanting him so much that he’s overwhelmed but excited, and those words are the best way to describe the song. The heavy swing beat was a good mix-up, as well as the rhythm. It was the best change of song this album could use, and I actually like this song.
Then, there were two songs left to give me a reason to say that Boone actually makes good music. Two more bullet points to add to my list of explaining how he is more than a jumpsuit-wearing backflipping pop star. As if anyone would listen to my explanation after “Moonbeam Ice Cream.”
In comes “Take Me Home,” another slow song driven by power and vocals. It really reminds me of his older songs, and somehow that gave me nostalgia for the good times before he became a meme, when he was just an American Idol star who was seeing a touch of fame. Is it as touching as “Momma Song?” Absolutely not. That song had a lot of power and meaning, and while this does revolve around the universal longing to go back to somewhere familiar and somewhere you belong, I don’t think it has as much impact. That is, until the end, where they bring a swell into the mix with backup vocals and drums. That split second really fills the holes the song had previously, but in this case, it’s going to be another song that isn’t as memorable.
To finish the album is “Young American Heart,” a song about being reckless as a younger person and the swelling feeling of young love. Out of every song, this is the best to end on. The pumping beat, roaring guitars and hard piano keys make a really good beat to go along with the message. His vocal range in this song is about the same as the rest, with a few moments of those climbing high-pitched notes.
After this album, I left it wondering if there was any more I was missing with the album only being 10 songs long. The beginning was really strong, and after a few road bumps, there were some songs that people are sleeping on. What does this mean from my perspective? I’m probably going to get bullied for even mentioning Benson Boone in a positive light, which I don’t understand, considering everyone who has talked to me about how bad Boone is hasn’t listened to either of his albums.
Is he going to be the next “King of Pop?” Not right now, but with his vocals and his personality, he has as much of a shot as Harry Styles did. If the real King of Pop could ever be replaced. This is a classic judging a book by its cover story. People should look past what everyone else thinks of him and listen to this album, if not “Fireworks and Rollerblades.” If people want to call him bad afterwards, I won’t stop them: just know the content before you form an opinion on it.
Hayley Doda can be contacted at
hayley@kscequinox.com
